Did You Know

Question 1

a founding member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., was one of the first Black actresses on Broadway. She was the Director of the Harlem School of the Arts and directed the theatrical debuts of Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier.

Answer 1

Osceola Macarthy Adams,

Question 2

1st National President (1919-1923), was the nation’s first woman to earn a Ph.D. in economics (1921). A distinguished attorney, she was among the founders of the National Bar Association (1925) and she was appointed to President Truman’s Commission on Civil Rights (1945).

Answer 2

Sadie T. M. Alexander, Ph.D.

Question 3

sculptor and painter, sculpted a life-sized bust of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. She was the conceptual designer of two major international projects: The International Children’s Peace Park and the Monumental Statue of Nelson Mandela. Allen received the Essence Award, the Stellar Award and the Thurgood Marshall Lifetime Achievement Award.

Answer 3

Tina Allen

Question 4

was the first African-American woman general in the United States Army.

Answer 4

Brigadier General Hazel Johnson Brown, Ph.D.,

Question 5

sculptor, won the 1943 Fine Arts Competition for the District of Columbia for a profile of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This artwork was adapted for the United States dime.

Answer 5

Selma Burke. PhD.

Question 6

At age 26 became the first Black woman neurosurgeon in the United States. She specializes in pediatric neurosurgery.

Answer 6

Alexa Canady, M.D.,

Question 7

was an internationally acclaimed sculptor and lithographer. She was best known for her vast range of artwork, including prints and life-sized sculptures.

Answer 7

Elizabeth Catlett

Question 8

the first Black woman member of the U.S. Congress, was the first African-American and first woman to run as a major party candidate for the presidency of the United States.

Answer 8

Shirley Chisholm

Question 9

is an extraordinary actress with performance credits on stage, in film and on television. She has also written a collection of poetry.

Answer 9

Ruby Dee Davis

Question 10

is the Chairman Emerita of the Board for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Answer 10

Myrlie Evers-Williams

Question 11

noted attorney and 14th National President (1967-1971), was the first woman appointed to the Civil Rights Commission by President Lyndon B. Johnson and served 16 years

Answer 11

Frankie M. Freeman

Question 12

served as Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.’s first Executive Director. She was also the first Black woman to be appointed ambassador to a European country (Luxembourg) and to be appointed to a presidential cabinet post as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). She was later appointed as Secretary of Health and Human Services. In January 2000, she was honored on the 23rd commemorative stamp in the United States Postal Service’s Black Heritage Series. Other Deltas that have been ambassadors are Ann Holloway and Bynthis Perry.

Answer 12

Patricia Roberts Harris

Question 13

10th National President (1947-1956), was appointed by President Carter to the Presidential Commission on a National Agenda for the 1980s. She served as president of the National Council of Negro Women for more than 40 years.

Answer 13

Dorothy I. Height, Ph.D

Question 14

was the Secretary of Labor and a Cabinet Member in the administration of President William Clinton.

Answer 14

Alexis Herman

Question 15

noted author, built her career on researching, publishing and raising the bar of how the experience of African-American women should be recorded. She was the first African-American to become the John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor of History at Michigan State University.

Answer 15

Darlene Clark Hine. PhD

Question 16

is the 18th President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She is the first African-American woman to head a leading technological university, the first African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1973), and the first African-American woman to become a commissioner of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Answer 16

Shirley Jackson, Ph.D

Question 17

the first woman to serve as Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. She is also the first African-American woman graduate of the University of Virginia Law School and the first African-American woman elected to the American Bar Association Board of Governors.

Answer 17

Elaine R. Jones

Question 18

was the first African-American to serve in the U.S. Congress from the South since Reconstruction. She was the first Black woman to preside over a state senate and the first African-American to deliver the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention.

Answer 18

Barbra Jordan

Question 19

was the first American woman to be admitted into the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. She was also the first female Deputy Solicitor General of the U.S. during the Nixon Administration.

Answer 19

Jewel S. Lafontant

Question 20

served as Congresswoman for the 17th District of Florida for ten years. She was the first African-American elected to represent Florida in the United States House of Representatives since Reconstruction.

Answer 20

Carrie P. Meek

Question 21

served as the President and CEO of the National Council of Negro Women.

Answer 21

Jane E. Smith. PhD

Question 22

was the first African-American chosen to represent the United States Congress of Women and to serve on the board of education of a major city.

Answer 22

Mary Church Terrel

Question 23

a Congresswoman in the United States House of Representatives for the 11th District of Ohio.

Answer 23

Stephanie Tubbs-Jones

Question 24

was the first African-American woman to serve as chief of a State Department bureau. She became Administrator of the Bureau of Security and Consular Affairs in 1968, served through 1974, and was re-appointed in 1977. Later that year, she became Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs.

Answer 24

Barbra Watson

Question 25

Sacred Vow and Trust

Answer 25

Sacred vow: DST is a lifetime commitment

Sacred trust: induction of new members into DST

Question 26

What are the components of the Minerva circle of Identity (from core to outermost portion of circle)

Answer 26

1. Sisterhood (innermost)
2. Black
3. College
4. Women
5. Public service

Mnemonic: The SISTERHOOD is made up of BLACK, COLLEGE-educated WOMEN who conduct PUBLIC SERVICE.

Question 27

Who is Minerva?

Answer 27

Goddess of Wisdom. Chosen by the founders as the patron of the sorority.

Question 28

Define Minerva’s core component: Sisterhood.

Answer 28

Committed to strive together as sisters to achieve public service project goals that are consistent with our basic values and beliefs

Question 29

Define Minerva Circle component: Black (4 tenets).

Answer 29

1. Members predominantly Black
2. Heirs of history of oppression in a land that brought African fore-bearers in chains
3. History of legal segregation and denial of opportunity
4. Important to carry in each generation historic memory of people’s struggle and survival

Question 30

Define Minerva Circle component: College (3 tenets)

Answer 30

1. Part of DST identity is college-based organization
2. Distinguished from rotary clubs and other public service organizations by the fact that DST is a college movement with academic base
3. Founded by college women

Question 31

Define Minerva Circle component: Women

Answer 31

1. Deltas are women
2. Identified with women’s issues since participation in Women’s Suffrage March
3. Lived on the front line of Black issues

Question 32

Define Minerva Circle component: Public Service

Answer 32

1. Organizational thrust is public service
2. Express values in building community projects for public good
3. Projects are an outward manifestation of inner values

Question 33

Timing of National Conventions?

Answer 33

Every 2 years, one biennium.

Question 34

Who must be present at each National convention?

Answer 34

Each chapter must be represented by 1 official voting delegate for election of officers for the next biennium.

Question 35

Timing of Regional conferences?

Answer 35

Held in alternate years of national conventions

Question 36

Timing of chapter meetings?

Answer 36

Local chapter should meet at regular intervals (usually once per month)

Question 37

Who makes up a local chapter?

Answer 37

Local chapters are comprised of members who are financial locally and to grand chapter.

Question 38

National Programs for Economic Development?

Answer 38

The Job Opportunity Project
Delta Habitat for Humanity
Financial Fortitude: Smart Women Finish Rich
The Delta Challenge: Homeownership
Adopt - A - Black Business

Question 39

National Programs for Educational Development

Answer 39

Dr. Betty Shabazz Delta Academy
Delta GEMS: Growing and Empowering Myself Successfully
EMBODI: Empowering Males to Build Opportunities for Developing Independence
Distinguished Professor Endowed Chair

Question 40

National Programs for International Awareness and Involvement

Answer 40

Mary Help of the Sick Mission Hospital
The Delta House
World AIDS Day

Question 41

National programs for Physical and Mental Health

Answer 41

Healthy Lifestyle: The Total Woman: Mind, Body, and Spirit

50 Million Pound Challenge

Question 42

National programs for Political Awareness and Involvement

Answer 42

Delta Days in the Nation’s Capital

Delta Days at the United Nations